Slow Burn
by secretfanficlover
Summary: A series of blind date disasters leads Ron to finding that they right one has been there all along.


**This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**

* * *

Word Count: 1357

Title: Slow Burn

Note: AU!

Warnings: angst

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Golden Snitch

[Name] Crissie

[School] Uagadou

[House] Ogyinae

Late Night Scary Times: Part 2: write about remembering the ones someone has lost.

Additional: (object) sofa, (word) feather pillow

Third Year Anniversary: The Three Pets: Write about a loss that results in a gain.

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Hogwarts

Assignment 8: Foreign Exchange: Task #1. The Unseen University (Discworld): Write about a witch or wizard who is viewed as inept.

Yearly:

Prompt 630 [Quote] Hard times don't create heroes. It is during the hard times when the 'hero' within us is revealed. – Bob Riley

* * *

"Ron," Harry said. "Don't you feel like it's time to move on?"

Ron grunted. He was sitting on the sofa with his feather pillow in his hands.

"Hermione left mate, you need to move on as well," Harry attempted again. At the mention of Ron's ex-girlfriend, Ron tossed the pillow at Harry's head before flopping down on the sofa dramatically.

Harry knew that he needed to do something to get his friend to move on, but he wasn't sure what to do. Ron had always been shy, so he wasn't quite sure what to do to get his own place back.

Harry hadn't expected his friends break-up to be this bad. After Hermione had told Ron that she was still owling Victor Krum, it had all escalated. It wasn't like she had been cheating on Ron, her relationship with Victor had been purely platonic until the breakup. It was only a couple of months after his best friends had split up that Hermione had moved away to Russia to see if there was still a flame between her and her former crush.

Harry realised it would take some time, Ron had taken this breakup a lot worse than Hermione had. Hermione had admitted to him that she felt the relationship between them had drifted apart during their period mourning those that died during the war.

* * *

In desperation, Harry decided to start setting Ron up on blind dates. He had met a couple of ladies that hadn't been too pleased with the news that Harry wasn't interested in them. Harry was demisexual, and he just had never found the time to connect with anyone on that level.

So Ron went out with a couple of ladies, but each time ended up being a disaster. He either left early, or if he liked them, he soon found himself comparing them to Hermione. Needless to say, the dates weren't pleased. Ron found himself becoming quite unpopular.

Harry was sitting with his Quill in hand after the last date, wondering who he could write to next. He was staring out the window when an owl sat down on the window, and he walked over to take the letter from it gingerly. He had learnt that sometimes owls get ornery. He unrolled the parchment from Luna and started to read.

_Dear Harry, _

_I hope all is well, I heard about the attempt to set Ron up, have you had much luck?_

_I will be back in town soon, perhaps I could help?_

_Luna_

When he replied to Luna's message he couldn't even imagine hoping that maybe Luna was interested. When Luna said she would like to go out with Ron, Harry was shocked. Now all that was left was getting Ron to the actual date. He was sure that everything would flow naturally from there.

* * *

Ron was sitting at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, waiting for his mysterious date to arrive. He was surprised that Harry kept managing to find ladies willing to date him. He realised he was making it rather difficult. He didn't intend to, he just didn't know if he was ready to move on yet.

When he saw Luna walking towards him wearing a bright blue cloak, his eyes squinted in astonishment. He stood up to greet her.

"Luna?" he asked as he saw her at the door.

"Hi, Ron," she said sweetly, kissing both his cheeks before taking a seat across from him. "I'm not late, am I?"

"No," Ron replied with a puzzled expression, sitting down again.

"Oh, Harry didn't tell you," Luna said, her expression changing. Ron didn't understand what Harry would have told him.

"Tell me what?" he asked puzzled.

"I really like you Ron," she admitted, her bright eyes locked on his.

"Yeah, he definitely didn't tell me that…" Ron started but trailed off when he realised he was about to mention Hermione. As much as he wasn't sure if he was ready, something inside him was telling to not blow it this time. He wasn't sure if there was something more there, but Luna was very pretty, and maybe if she liked him there might be a chance.

"Maybe reality is the dream and dreams are reality. You ever think about that?" Luna asked.

"No, I don't suppose I have," Ron grinned.

"I suppose Harry believed you wouldn't come if you knew it was me," she said, then stood up suddenly. "Want me to get us ice-cream?"

Ron nodded, surprised. She seemed like she didn't mind that Harry hadn't told him the truth, that perhaps she even understood. She came back and handed him an ice-cream cone, sitting down in her chair.

"So tell me what happened with Hermione…" she started, and then she trailed off, as if waiting for him to spill it about the woman he had lost. Shockingly, he didn't want to talk about her as much after the two of them talked about it.

"Why did you want to go out with me? Harry is the hero," Ron said after a while of silence. Both of them sitting with their cones.

Luna laughed. "Come on, Harry isn't all that great." Her response surprised him. "Of course he was brave, but no more so than anyone else who fought that night, no braver than you."

Ron felt himself blushing. "You think I was brave?"

"Of course," she said with a grin, dabbing a serviette at her mouth corners after she finished her ice-cream cone.

* * *

Ron woke up a few days later with a grin. He had enjoyed the day out with Luna, and he was thinking about her a lot. After that day, he had felt himself thinking less about Hermione. He wondered if this meant he was finally moving on.

"Harry," Ron said from his camping spot on Harry's couch.

"Yeah, mate?" Harry asked.

"Do you think she wants to see me again?"

Harry grinned at him. "Of course she does. She told me she likes you."

"So I didn't mess up?" Ron asked.

"Can't hurt to ask."

Harry couldn't help but be pleased as he was the witness to his friend taking the next step getting out of his lounge.

* * *

When Ron received an owl back from Luna that she would love to go out again. He felt nervous. He knew she was really pretty, what if it was a mistake? What if he got caught up in a romance again and got himself burnt?

When he spotted her in The Three Broomsticks, all those thoughts disappeared and his focus was on the blonde as she walked in with a smile on her face. The two of them had a lovely night, talking about school and everything else that was on their minds. He had always considered himself quite inept when it came to relationships and things. He wasn't sure if he was ready to try again.

* * *

It was a couple of months after Ron started dating Luna that he moved back into his own place, and stopped camping out in Harry's living room. Harry had just started seeing someone, so he had been very happy when Ron said he was ready to go back to his own place without obsessing over Hermione.

Ron didn't ask who Harry was involved with, but from the noises he had heard he assumed it was a man. Harry would tell him when he was ready. He felt like after all Harry had done for him the least he could do was allow the man his privacy.

* * *

Ron was sitting in his lounge when Luna arrived at the door. His heart sped up as he looked at her, and he realised that he had fallen in love so gently he hardly recognized the feeling.

"Hi," she said with a smile, and lent in to kiss him. He closed the door behind her, and then pulled her in closer, kissing her more firmly.

"What's gotten into you?" she chuckled at his enthusiasm.

"I think I'm falling for you," Ron admitted. Her smile lit up the whole room at his confession. It would burn, but this time it would be a slow burn.


End file.
